be an extremely long year.”
Jed’s hands gripped the wheel tightly for a moment. Then he let out a long slow breath and eased his hold. “You’re right. We both went into this with our eyes open. I’m doing you a favor; you’re doing me a favor.”
Oh, she’d forgotten that, too. They had spent Friday night talking about the shop he wanted to open. She had given him some suggestions of where he might find a place for it. Chaney had offered the old barn on the ranch until he could find something better. He had accepted and not asked for anything more, though she could have sworn something else had been on the tip of his tongue. Right now, she counted her blessings and took the hand he held out in truce or renewal of their agreement.
Taking that hand was a mistake. She released it quickly, faced forward in the seat again, closed her eyes, and rested her head back. With her eyes closed, she avoided confrontation with the flesh and blood Jed beside her. Unfortunately, her mind brought forth another memory of a younger Jed stripped to the waist again. Only this time, his sweat slick skin had sawdust sprinkled on it as his hand glided over a piece of wood he’d just pushed through the lathe.
When the image in her mind of Jed stroking a piece of wood changed to an image of him stroking her body, her eyes popped open and she jerked bolt upright. Damn she was going to have to keep a tighter rein on her memories. She would also have to stay away from the barn when he was working. Glancing at his strong, matured body across the seat from her, she had no doubt the older vision of Jed would be even more devastating to her libido.
“Where would you like to go? It’s early for dinner,” Jed said.
“Not the Low Down, that’s for sure.”
He chuckled. “I think I can do better than that. Do you still like those fancy biscuit things and tea?”
“Scones?”
“That’s it. Sounds like a disease to me.”
It was Chaney’s turn to chuckle. “It’s just a fancy biscuit, Jed. You said so yourself.”
“Then they should call it a biscuit. Anyway, do you still like them? I noticed a tearoom when I was looking around town for shop sights last week. That sound like a good place to start a memorable wedding day story?”
Chaney felt a real smile on her face for the first time in days. Months. “Yes, that sounds like a great place to start a wedding story.”
***
What in the world am I doing here, was Jed’s first thought when they walked through the door of the tearoom. His second, the furniture’s going to break. Then Chaney looked up at him and smiled. Really smiled. Jed decided then and there that he would do anything to give her a wedding day to remember.
To that end, he steered the conversation away from any hot topics, ordered high tea, and pretended all was right with the world, even though finger sandwiches and biscuits didn’t come close to filling his stomach. Jed concentrated on the effort Chaney had put into making the day special as well.
Jed had picked her up at the ranch and been amazed when he saw her waiting at the front door. All he saw of her soft brown hair were the bangs and soft tendrils at the sides of her face. She’d tucked a sprig of lavender to one side, a delicate touch he would never have associated with Chaney, but liked. What had totally thrown him was her dress. He half expected her to show up in her jeans and work shirt, telling him to hurry so she could be back before evening chores.
He’d been wrong.
The dress she wore he remembered from a big dance they’d gone to just before he’d left town for good. It looked even better on her now with her more womanly curves. Soft crocheted lace over a pale lavender slip swished around her calves and clung to other parts of her. Jed had tugged at his collar from the immediate rise in his body temperature. Oh, yeah, he remembered this dress.
Unfortunately, the afternoon had to end. The way they both kept dawdling over the last cup of
Jed’s hands gripped the wheel tightly for a moment. Then he let out a long slow breath and eased his hold. “You’re right. We both went into this with our eyes open. I’m doing you a favor; you’re doing me a favor.”
Oh, she’d forgotten that, too. They had spent Friday night talking about the shop he wanted to open. She had given him some suggestions of where he might find a place for it. Chaney had offered the old barn on the ranch until he could find something better. He had accepted and not asked for anything more, though she could have sworn something else had been on the tip of his tongue. Right now, she counted her blessings and took the hand he held out in truce or renewal of their agreement.
Taking that hand was a mistake. She released it quickly, faced forward in the seat again, closed her eyes, and rested her head back. With her eyes closed, she avoided confrontation with the flesh and blood Jed beside her. Unfortunately, her mind brought forth another memory of a younger Jed stripped to the waist again. Only this time, his sweat slick skin had sawdust sprinkled on it as his hand glided over a piece of wood he’d just pushed through the lathe.
When the image in her mind of Jed stroking a piece of wood changed to an image of him stroking her body, her eyes popped open and she jerked bolt upright. Damn she was going to have to keep a tighter rein on her memories. She would also have to stay away from the barn when he was working. Glancing at his strong, matured body across the seat from her, she had no doubt the older vision of Jed would be even more devastating to her libido.
“Where would you like to go? It’s early for dinner,” Jed said.
“Not the Low Down, that’s for sure.”
He chuckled. “I think I can do better than that. Do you still like those fancy biscuit things and tea?”
“Scones?”
“That’s it. Sounds like a disease to me.”
It was Chaney’s turn to chuckle. “It’s just a fancy biscuit, Jed. You said so yourself.”
“Then they should call it a biscuit. Anyway, do you still like them? I noticed a tearoom when I was looking around town for shop sights last week. That sound like a good place to start a memorable wedding day story?”
Chaney felt a real smile on her face for the first time in days. Months. “Yes, that sounds like a great place to start a wedding story.”
***
What in the world am I doing here, was Jed’s first thought when they walked through the door of the tearoom. His second, the furniture’s going to break. Then Chaney looked up at him and smiled. Really smiled. Jed decided then and there that he would do anything to give her a wedding day to remember.
To that end, he steered the conversation away from any hot topics, ordered high tea, and pretended all was right with the world, even though finger sandwiches and biscuits didn’t come close to filling his stomach. Jed concentrated on the effort Chaney had put into making the day special as well.
Jed had picked her up at the ranch and been amazed when he saw her waiting at the front door. All he saw of her soft brown hair were the bangs and soft tendrils at the sides of her face. She’d tucked a sprig of lavender to one side, a delicate touch he would never have associated with Chaney, but liked. What had totally thrown him was her dress. He half expected her to show up in her jeans and work shirt, telling him to hurry so she could be back before evening chores.
He’d been wrong.
The dress she wore he remembered from a big dance they’d gone to just before he’d left town for good. It looked even better on her now with her more womanly curves. Soft crocheted lace over a pale lavender slip swished around her calves and clung to other parts of her. Jed had tugged at his collar from the immediate rise in his body temperature. Oh, yeah, he remembered this dress.
Unfortunately, the afternoon had to end. The way they both kept dawdling over the last cup of
Similar Books
